


Let's Go Down To The Ocean Today

by kotaka_kun, RollingWings



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Happy Birthday Hunk, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-14
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2019-03-05 01:24:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13377162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kotaka_kun/pseuds/kotaka_kun, https://archiveofourown.org/users/RollingWings/pseuds/RollingWings
Summary: Years after the war for the universe comes to a close, and all the paladins having settled into their quiet lives, they still make time for one another, visiting and catching up, as old friends do. (After all, there are just some things in life you can’t go through without remaining good friends afterwards, namely one of them taking on an entire tyrannical intergalactic empire.) The team’s gathered, this time in Hawaii, and their beach day just so happens to be on Hunk’s birthday. Of course, that’s just coincidence, right?





	Let's Go Down To The Ocean Today

**Author's Note:**

> here’s a little thing I got down, barely in time (not really) for Hunk’s birthday! RollingWings drew the pic I based this off of (it's so cute im die) a n d they helped me to finish this thing,, i srsly don't know what I'd do without my beta-san  
> check out the art [here](https://katsukrumbs.tumblr.com/post/169716796622/happy-birthday-hunk-i-am-ashamed-that-this-is-a) or at the end of the fic!

Hunk startled awake, sitting up abruptly with a strangled cry, eyes wild as they darted around the room. His hand instinctively reached for his bayard that wasn't there, heart hammering away in his chest even as he realized that the fear and panic that gripped him were nothing more than remnants of a nightmare of a time long past. Glancing over at the bedside table, the clock read 7:37AM, and another glance at the space of the bed beside him told him that Lance was up earlier than usual today. He wasn’t sure if he was glad or disappointed.

There was a soft tak-tak-tak-ing of paws approaching the bed, before the edge of the mattress dipped a little, and Hunk looked down to see Cheerio, her front paws resting at his side, peering back up at him, her ears pressed back flat against her head as she looked at him worriedly.

He let out a soft sigh, and patted the space beside him, and the dog eagerly jumped up onto the bed, pressing herself up against him. He ran his trembling fingers through her brown fur, taking several long minutes to catch his breath, and then a few more to calm his still pounding heart. All the while, Cheerio lay still, her head on his lap.

“Thanks, Cheerio.” he murmured, giving her a final scratch behind her ears before withdrawing his hand. She looked up at him, and seeming content that he was calmer, she gave him a wet kiss, and hopped off the bed, tail wagging as she went to the door, pausing there and looking back over her shoulder, almost expectantly as if waiting for him. As much support Cheerio could be, she also clearly knew how to demand certain things from her owners, a far cry from the frightened, distrustful dog they’d come across at the Humane Society only two years ago.

She’d looked so afraid, curled up in a corner of her kennel when they’d gone by, looking up at them with the saddest eyes Hunk had ever seen. They’d chosen her immediately after that, and in helping her heal, Hunk and Lance had healed too. It had dawned on them that there were a lot of things that they could still do, even if they weren’t saving the universe. Things like taking care of dogs that hadn’t gotten the homes they’d deserved, with owners too cruel to fathom. She’d come so far since then, and it went without saying that Cheerio was a very important part of their family.  

“Alright, I’m coming.” he huffed. Sliding out of bed, Hunk stopped to stretch before following her down the hall to the kitchen. He could hear the sound of something sizzling on the stove, and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee beckoned him.

Lance was standing in front of the stove, apron on and spatula in hand. The morning light filtering in through their curtains cast him in an almost ethereal glow, and Hunk smiled to himself, the dread and panic from earlier ebbing away some as he considered just how lucky he was to be able to wake up to this. It almost seemed absurd to think that there was a time when this was all just a faraway dream, that merely surviving the day was a victory in and of itself.

“Morning.” he murmured, shuffling towards the coffee maker and pouring himself a mug, giving Lance a peck on the cheek as he passed by.

“Hey,” his husband greeted over his shoulder, “Glad you’re already up. Breakfast’s almost ready, go ahead and sit down.” he added, nodding towards the dining table. Hunk hummed softly, letting their domesticity undo the knot of uneasiness in his chest the rest of the way.

“Are those omelettes?” Hunk asked, watching as Lance carefully set the egg down onto the plate.

“Made with mushrooms and spinach and ham.” Lance said with a nod. “Now stop looking.” He picked up the ketchup bottle, and began drawing on the egg. Hunk was tempted to sneak over there and peek, but Lance was done soon enough, and he brought the plates to the table, setting Hunk’s in front of him with a flourish. He couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him when he saw just what Lance had done to the egg.

In squiggly ketchup lettering were the words ‘HAPPY BDAY’, followed by a heart on the side.

“Thanks, Lance.” he said warmly, and Lance grinned proudly from across the table.

It had taken a while for him to feel comfortable letting Lance work in his kitchen, especially considering the fact that the first few times he’d tried cooking had somehow ended in a singed floor and pancake mix on the ceiling. But then they’d started to spend time in the kitchen together, Hunk teaching Lance tips and tricks, old recipes, and ways to experiment once he had the basics down, and as of late, Hunk found that Lance was spending just as much time in the kitchen as he was. The realization came with a small sense of worry, but mostly with great satisfaction knowing, that he’d taught Lance enough for him to want to cook too. There was something indescribably fulfilling about sharing his own hobby and having Lance enjoy it just as much.

“Everyone still on for today?” he asked around a mouthful of egg as he dug in.

“Yeah, last I heard.” Lance dutifully pulled out his phone, checking the group chat just to make sure. “Yup. I think Allura might be running a little late though, she said she still has to pick up the-” Hunk swore he heard hesitation in Lance’s voice. “Some donuts. The purple malasadas.”

“Oh, nice, I remember Shiro saying he liked those.” Hunk nodded thoughtfully.

“And we don’t have to pick up ice, apparently.” Lance went on, “Pidge is gonna get it.”

“Okay, so that leaves us with the musubis, skewers, the coolers, and the chairs?”

“Yeah.”

Today, they’d arranged to meet with the others for a beach picnic, and he was more than excited to see everyone again. It was really just a coincidence that the day everyone was available just happened to be his birthday, but Hunk didn't mind in the least. It wasn't often everyone could get together to spend time, now that they all had their own lives to live, and if today was the only day everyone was available, he wasn't about to try to make it about him. Just seeing everyone together, in person, was better than any gift he could ask for anyway. He missed them, even though he didn’t quite miss the situation that had once called for them to come together, and it had been at least several months since everyone had been able to meet up, and though they kept in touch, it just wasn’t the same. And what better way to reunite than at a picnic?  

After breakfast, the sink, stove, and counter were cleared off - Hunk was very particular about having a clean workspace, after all - and they got to work, quickly establishing a rhythm to their system, production-lining the process as Hunk cooked the slices of Spam, and Lance loading it into the mold with nori and rice. They saran wrapped them once they were a little cooler, before loading them onto the aluminium pan, the material bending precariously under the weight of it all as it was lifted into their large cooler bag.  
They put together the shrimp and pineapple skewers much in the same way, and it didn’t take long before those were packed and ready to go too. They were making good time, still having an extra half hour before they’d have to leave, but Lance delegated Hunk to start loading up the car while Lance would take Cheerio on a quick walk. Knowing the parking situation at the beach on any afternoon, let alone the weekend, Lance wanted as much extra time before the agreed upon time as they could manage.

It took a few trips to do, but Hunk managed to fit the three camping chairs into the backseat, and loaded the trunk with the coolers and the bags of food. Once Lance came back with Cheerio, he double checked to make sure Hunk had everything - which he did, of course - and then they were on their way, Lance in the driver’s seat, Hunk in the passenger’s. (Hunk would be the first to say that Lance was a much kinder driver now, though he did have a habit of trying to make it through yellow lights and making the occasional illegal U-turn.)

By the time they pulled into the parking lot, it seemed like the afternoon crowd was just arriving too, but Lance was lucky enough to find a stall not too far from the stretch of beach they were supposed to be on. They began unloading the car, Hunk holding the chairs under his arms and bags slung on one shoulder, while Lance hoisted the coolers on his forearms so he had his hands free to check in with the others.

“Shiro said they found a good spot, under some trees.” Lance informed him, reading the latest messages in the chat. “That way.” He pointed, and together they made their way over.

The sun was shining, but the crisp ocean breeze made sure it wasn’t too hot, and Hunk was pretty sure that they couldn’t have picked a better day to spend on the beach with their friends. The expanse of grass leading up to the sand wasn’t overly crowded, the majority of the people here probably on the sand or in the water already. There was some music playing distantly from a couple lots down, just loud enough to not be whitenoise, but soft enough to not be a bother.

“That’s them, I think.” Lance said, pointing up ahead.

Sure enough, a small cluster of familiar figures were gathered under a tree, their bags piled high on the nearby picnic table. It was Pidge that spotted them first, and began waving at them. They both waved back, smiles on their faces as Shiro and Keith made their way over, and helped them with their things.

“Allura said that, uh, she’s running late.” Keith informed them, setting their bags on the table, his eyes going between Lance and Hunk almost nervously.   
“Right, she still has to pick up the purple malasadas.” Lance said knowingly.

“Right.” Keith nodded. “She said she’d be a while though, and to go ahead and start without her.”

So bags were unpacked, ice poured into coolers on top of canned drinks, trays of food brought out, each paladin having brought a dish or two to share as well. Their individual conversations all melted into one as they ate, topics jumping from one to another as they slipped into the ease of old habits. Side conversations began cropping up around the time that they were getting up for seconds, and with Lance animatedly discussing the latest episodes of his favorite show with Pidge and Shiro, Hunk decided he’d take the opportunity to catch up with Keith.

“So how’ve you been?” Hunk asked, moving his chair closer to Keith’s.

“Alright.” he said with a shrug. He paused, thinking for a moment. “Shiro brought home two more dogs, last month.”

“Two?”

“Two.”

“So that makes, what, seven?”

“Eight, actually.” Keith said, very matter-of-factly. “And he visited the Humane Society the other day, and he found out that they’ve got a couple more dogs that might not find a home in time, so,” He shrugged, “We might be at ten before the end of this month.”

Hunk let out a disbelieving laugh, but there was a part of him that was a little envious, too. Dogs were a treasure to cherish, and the idea of having so many was very appealing.

Lance seemed to have moved onto regaling tales of their time together in space, and at the moment, seemed to be laughing with Pidge over something Keith had done.

Hunk could practically hear the gears turning in Keith’s head, and he saw the mischievous glint that came to his eyes.

“I’ll be back.” Keith said, and Hunk nodded, knowing full well that something was about to go down, probably involving Lance. It was nice that both Keith and Lance had matured to the point of being able to maintain a well balanced, civil relationship.

There was a loud screech from Lance as Keith shoved a handful of ice from the cooler down the back of his shirt, and Hunk watched in amusement as his husband took off after Keith, who’d had the good idea of running off after committing his crime. Maybe it had been a bit premature of him to think that either paladin had truly grown out of their so called rivalry, but then again, it was a big part of their friendship, Hunk thought to himself, so maybe it wasn’t something that they really should grow out of. And it would be discrediting to both men to say that they hadn’t grown. They had, absolutely.

Shiro came over, a couple of canned juices in hand, and offered one to Hunk as he took Keith’s seat. 

“Thanks.” Hunk grinned, popping it open and taking a sip. “I heard you're going to adopt some more dogs? How do you even take care of them all?" Hunk teased.

“Easier than trying to reign in unruly paladins.” Shiro shot back easily.

"I would agree that any animal is better company than all of you."

The two men looked up to see Pidge standing beside them, her gaze fixed on Lance and Keith as they both ran across the grass like children.

"But honestly, I’d still pick you guys over _anyone_ at the Garrison. That place is still a hellhole," she grumbled, taking a huge gulp from her juice can.

"If you hate the Garrison so much then why did you decide to work there?" Shiro asked.

At this Pidge smirked, "Because after flying through a space war and actually surviving, I have a higher standing than Iverson, making _me_ his superior at half his age and it feels _sweet_." Pidge gloated, to which Hunk raised his can to.

"Also, Matt and Dad still don't know what they want to do yet. They sometimes collaborate with the staff at the Garrison, but they mostly just stick to their own experiments. I’m just there to make sure those fuckheads don't mess with them." Pidge continued, pulling a chair closer to Hunk’s other side to plop herself down. "Hunk, you have no idea how glad I am you live in this state specifically. Do you know how satisfying it was debriefing Iverson to tell him I’d be gone to _Hawaii_ of all places," She sighed wistfully, "I love my job."

"Making Iverson’s life hell is not your job," Shiro chided lightly, but his heart didn't seem to be in it, as he turned to the sound of Keith screaming as Lance shoved sand down the other man’s shorts.

“Well, it looks like those two haven't changed in the slightest. Something I didn’t know I would actually be glad of honestly.”

The three turned at the sound of the familiar voice, and Hunk jumped up from his seat to greet Coran as he made his way over.

“Coran! You’re here!” Hunk cheered, going in for a hug which the Altean gladly returned.

“I wouldn’t have missed this day for the world Number Two! Is Allura here yet? I hear-”

“SHE’S OUT GETTING DONUTS, CORAN! DONUTS!” Lance suddenly shouted, ducking behind the taller man to hide from Keith who seemed to have a fistful of dirt and sand in his fist.

“Stop hiding, McClain, and face me like a man!” Keith snarled, the two of them mirroring each others movements as Lance tried to find an escape and Keith determined on catching him.

“I find that statement to be inaccurate and lightly offensive. You don’t need to be a man to square up, Keith,” Pidge stated loudly, and when Keith turned to them to give Pidge a look, Lance took the opportunity to slap the ammunition from Keith’s hand and then booked it to hide behind Shiro.

Their leader looked like he was about to lecture the two of them when his phone went off, and he reached for the device to read the message he just recieved. He smiled slightly at his screen and turned to give Lance a smile before turning back to his phone to return the text.

“Allura said she’s here.” Shiro announced, a little louder than necessary.

“Oh, wow, finally!” Lance exclaimed.

“Uh, hey, we’re kinda out of drinks.” Pidge said pointedly.

There was something just a bit odd about the tone of everyone’s voice, and it was a little concerning, but not enough for Hunk to bring it up. It wasn’t like they were saying anything really out of the ordinary.

“I can go and buy some more.” Keith suggested, but didn’t make any move to do so.

“We brought extra drinks,” Lance interjected, waving off Keith’s offer, “Could you get them, Hunk?” He dug into his pocket and pulled out the car keys, and held them up to Hunk.

“What? Why can’t you go?” he asked petulantly, despite already taking the keys from Lance’s outstretched hand.

“Thanks, babe!” Lance said sweetly after him, “You’re the best!” Hunk rolled his eyes, and none too gently tousled his hair, earning an indignant squawk from his husband.

Getting to the car and pulling out the two six-packs of drinks took longer than it should’ve, and Hunk took his time in getting back, not seeing the need to rush.

It looked like Allura had found them by the time Hunk returned, the six of them huddled around the table, their backs to him, murmuring excitedly, but falling silent as he neared. He set the cans down on the cooler, deciding that someone else could cut off the plastic and stick them in the ice later.   
“Here, I brought the-” He was cut off as there was a sudden flurry of movement, the paladins shuffling away to the sides of the table all at once, and revealing what they’d been hiding from his line of sight, each of them wearing wide grins.

"Happy birthday, Hunk!" came the loud cheer, followed by a few loud pops as crackers went off, sprinkling him in thin streamers and confetti. He was startled into stopping in his tracks, the expression on his face akin to that of a deer in headlights, and before he could even begin to get his bearings, the team immediately launched into a loud - and a little off key - rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ It took him a few moments to comprehend what he was seeing, but when he did, tears sprang to his eyes.

The cake was decorated to look like the head of the Yellow Lion, and his heart swelled at the sight of it. As they continued with the song, he found himself fighting a smile, the initial surprise wearing off and leaving him almost a little bashful. He looked to each of his friends who were singing at the top of their lungs, all of them grinning back at him, and Hunk felt an immense welling up of emotion in his chest, the sheer amount of gratitude, pride, and unadulterated joy making him choke up.

By the time they finished, they’d caught the attention of quite a few of the other beachgoers, many of whom clapped and cheered for him too, a few ‘chee-hoo’s in there as well. Hunk felt his cheeks warm at the attention, but rushed forward regardless, his friends moving towards him too so that they met in the middle in a jumble of limbs that would best be described as a group hug.

"I hope you guys know how much I appreciate all of you,” His breath caught in his throat, “And how much I love you all.”

“Happy birthday, Hunk.” Shiro said warmly.

“Happy birthday.” Keith agreed, nodding.

“Happy birthday, ya big dork.” Pidge clapped him on the shoulder cheerfully.

“Congratulations on your annual rotation around the earth, my boy!” Coran cheered.

“And to many more.” Allura added as Lance leaned in to press a kiss to Hunk’s cheek.

Once they untangled themselves from one another, Hunk beamed at each of them, not bothering to brush away the tears in his eyes.

“I still can’t believe you guys got me a cake.” Hunk said excitedly as Shiro went to find a knife to cut into it.

“He didn’t think we were gonna even celebrate it.” Lance said in an exasperated stage whisper.

“What, did you really think we forgot?” Pidge asked incredulously, elbowing him none too gently.

“No! I don’t know.” Hunk said defensively. “But you guys said today was the only day everyone was free, so I figured it was a coincidence.” Pidge shook her head in disbelief, and even Keith looked a little taken aback. 

“I see some things never change.” Allura laughed fondly.

“Well, I-” Hunk protested, but Allura stopped him.

“I’m glad.” she amended.

After slices of the cake had been cut and served, and they had eaten their fill of the sweet confection, they all made their way to the water, the sand almost soft between their toes.

Inevitably, someone - probably Pidge - had splashed water on Keith, and he’d retaliated by splashing Lance, which quickly turned into an all out splash fight.

Hunk smiled to himself, watching his friends run down the shore, probably yelling profanities, and the scene filled him with contentment. He felt at peace. And if he could be so presumptuous to say that he’d had a hand in assuring that this sort of peace was kept throughout the galaxy, he’d say with conviction that what he’d done had been worth it. Being a paladin of Voltron had been worth being able to appreciate a day like this, his friends beside him. And from now on, he’d be able to enjoy countless more.

 


End file.
